Chapter IV.

Of sanctification, and of the cause of faith, and the procurement
thereof by the death of Christ.

Arg. VIII.
Another argument may be taken from the effect and fruit
of the death of Christ unto sanctification, which we thus 250propose:— If the blood of Jesus Christ doth wash,
purge, cleanse, and sanctify them for whom it
was shed, or for whom he was a sacrifice, then certainly he died, shed his
blood, or was a sacrifice, only for them that in the event are
washed, purged, cleansed, and
sanctified; — which that all or every one is not is most apparent,
faith being the first principle of the heart’s purification, Acts xv. 9, and “all men have not
faith,” 2 Thess. iii.
2; it is “of
the elect of God,” Tit. i. 1.
The consequence, I conceive, is undeniable, and not to be avoided with any
distinctions. But now we shall make it evident that the blood of Christ is
effectual for all those ends of washing, purging, and sanctifying, which we
before recounted. And this we shall do; — first, from the types
of it; and, secondly, by plain expressions concerning the thing
itself:—

First, For the type, that which we shall now
consider is the sacrifice of expiation, which the apostle so expressly
compareth with the sacrifice and oblation of Christ. Of this he affirmeth,
Heb. ix. 13, that it legally
sanctified them for whom it was a sacrifice. “For,” saith he, “the
blood of bulls and goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the
unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh.” Now, that
which was done carnally and legally in the type must be spiritually
effected in the antitype, — the sacrifice of Christ, typified by that
bloody sacrifice of beasts. This the apostle asserteth in the verse following. “How much more,” saith he, “shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal
Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead
works to serve the living God?” If I know any thing, that
answer of Arminius and some others
to this, — namely, that the sacrifice did sanctify, not as offered but as
sprinkled, and the blood of Christ, not in respect of the oblation, but of
its application, answereth it, — is weak and unsatisfactory; for it only
asserts a division between the oblation and application
of the blood of Christ, which, though we allow to be distinguished, yet
such a division we are now disproving. And to weaken our argument, the
same division which we disprove is proposed; which, if any, is an easy,
facile way of answering. We grant that the blood of Christ sanctifieth in
respect of the application of the good things procured by it, but withal
prove that it is so applied to all for whom it was an oblation; and that
because it is said to sanctify and purge, and must answer the type, which
did sanctify to the purifying of the flesh.

Secondly, It is expressly, in divers places
affirmed of the blood-shedding and death of our Saviour, that it
doth effect these things, and that it was intended for that purpose. Many
places for the clearing of this were before recounted. I shall now repeat
so many of them as shall be sufficient to give strength to the argument in
hand, omitting those which before were produced, only desiring 251that all those places which point out the end of the death of
Christ may be considered as of force to establish the truth of this
argument.

Rom. vi. 5,
6, “For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we
shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: knowing this, that our
old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed,
that henceforth we should not serve sin.” The words of the
latter verse yield a reason of the
former assertion in verse 5, — namely, that a participation
in the death of Christ shall certainly be accompanied with conformity to
him in his resurrection; that is, both to life spiritual, as also to
eternal: “Because our old man is
crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed.”
That is, our sinful corruption and depravation of nature are, by his death
and crucifying, effectually and meritoriously slain, and disabled from such
a rule and dominion over us as that we should be servants any longer unto
them; which is apparently the sense of the place, seeing it is laid as a
foundation to press forward unto all decrees of sanctification and freedom
from the power of sin.

The same apostle also tells us, 2 Cor. i.
20, that “all the promises of God are in him yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory
of God by us.” “Yea, and Amen,” — confirmed, ratified, unchangeably
established, and irrevocably made over to us. Now, this was done
“in him,” — that
is, in his death and blood-shedding, for the confirmation of the testament,
whereof these promises are the conveyance of the legacies to us, —
confirmed by the “death of him, the
testator,” Heb. ix. 16:
for he was “the surety of this better
testament,” chap. vii.
22; which testament or “covenant he confirmed with many,” by his being “cut off” for them, Dan. ix. 26, 27. Now, what are the
promises that are thus confirmed unto us, and established by the blood of
Christ? The sum of them you have, Jer. xxxi.
33, 34; whence they are repeated by the apostle, Heb. viii. 10–12, to set out the
nature of that covenant which was ratified in the blood of Jesus, in which
you have a summary description of all that free grace towards us, both in
sanctification, verses 10,
11, and in justification, verse 12.
Amongst these promises, also, is that most famous one of circumcising our
hearts, and of giving new hearts and spirits unto us: as Deut. xxx. 6; Ezek. xxxvi. 26. So that our whole
sanctification, holiness, with justification and reconciliation unto God,
is procured by, and established unto us with, unchangeable promises in the
death and blood-shedding of Christ, “the
heavenly or spiritual things” being purified with that
sacrifice of his, Heb. ix. 23; “For we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of
sins,” Col. i. 14; “By death he destroyed him that had the power of death, that is, the
devil,” that he might “deliver them who, through fear of death, were all their lifetime
subject to bondage,” Heb. ii. 14,
15.

Do but take notice of those two most clear places,
Tit. ii. 14, Eph. v. 25, 26: 252in both
which our cleansing and sanctification is assigned to be the end and
intendment of Christ the worker; and therefore the certain effect of his
death and oblation, which was the work, as was before proved. And I shall
add but one place more to prove that which I am sorry that I need produce
any one to do, — to wit, that the blood of Christ purgeth us from all our
sin, and it is, 1 Cor. i. 30, “Who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and
sanctification, and redemption.” Of which, because it is clear
enough, I need not spend time to prove that he was thus made unto us of
God, inasmuch as he set him forth to be “a
propitiation through faith in his blood;” as Rom. iii. 25. So that our
sanctification, with all other effects of free grace, are the immediate
procurement of the death of Christ. And of the things that have been
spoken this is the sum:— Sanctification and holiness is the certain fruit
and effect of the death of Christ in all them for whom he died; but all and
every one are not partakers of this sanctification, this purging,
cleansing, and working of holiness: therefore, Christ died not for all and
every one, “quod erat
demonstrandum.”

It is altogether in vain to except, as some do, that the
death of Christ is not the sole cause of these things, for they are not
actually wrought in any without the intervention of the Spirit’s working in
them, and faith apprehending the death of Christ: for, — First, Though many
total causes of the same kind cannot concur to the producing of the same
effect, yet several causes of several kinds may concur to one effect, and
be the sole causes in that kind wherein they are causes. The Spirit of God
is the cause of sanctification and holiness; but what kind of cause, I
pray? Even such an one as is immediately and really efficient of the
effect. Faith is the cause of pardon of sin; but what cause? in what
kind? Why merely as an instrument, apprehending the righteousness of
Christ. Now, do these causes, whereof one is efficient, the other
instrumental, both natural and real, hinder that the blood of Christ may
not only concur, but also be the sole cause, moral and meritorious, of
these things? Doubtless, they do not. Nay, they do suppose it so to be,
or else they would in this work be neither instruments nor efficient, that
being the sole foundation of the Spirit’s operation and efficience, and the
sole cause of faith’s being and existence. A man is detained captive by
his enemy, and one goes to him that detains him, and pays a ransom for his
delivery; who thereupon grants a warrant to the keepers of the prison that
they shall knock off his shackles, take away his rags, let him have new
clothes, according to the agreement, saying, “Deliver him, for I have found
a ransom.” Because the jailer knocks off his shackles, and the warrant of
the judge is brought for his discharge, shall he or we say that the price
and ransom which was paid was not the cause, yes, the sole cause of his
delivery? 253Considering that none of these latter had been, had
not the ransom been paid, they are no less the effect of that ransom than
his own delivery. In our delivery from the bondage of sin, it is true,
there are other things, in other kinds, which do concur besides the death
of Christ, as the operation of the Spirit and the grace of God; but these
being in one kind, and that in another, these also being no less the fruit
and effect of the death of Christ than our deliverance wrought by them, it
is most apparent that that is the only main cause of the whole. Secondly,
To take off utterly this exception, with all of the like kind, we affirm
that faith itself is a proper immediate fruit and procurement of the death
of Christ in all them for whom he died; which (because, if it be true, it
utterly overthrows the general ransom, or universal redemption; and if it
be not true, I will very willingly lay down this whole controversy, and be
very indifferent which way it be determined, for go it which way it will,
free-will must be established), I will prove apart by itself in the next
argument.

Arg. IX.
Before I come to press the argument intended, I must premise some few
things; as, —

1. Whatever is freely bestowed upon us, in and through
Christ, that is all wholly the procurement and merit of the death of
Christ. Nothing is bestowed through him on those that are his which he
hath not purchased; the price whereby he made his purchase being his own
blood, 1 Pet. i.
18, 19; for the covenant between his Father and him, of making
out all spiritual blessings to them that were given unto him, was expressly
founded on this condition, “That he should make his soul an offering for sin,”
Isa. liii. 10.

2. That confessedly, on all sides, faith is, in men of
understanding, of such absolute indispensable necessity unto salvation, —
there being no sacrifice to be admitted for the want of it under the new
covenant, — that, whatever God hath done in his love, sending his Son, and
whatever Christ hath done or doth, in his oblation and intercession for all
or some, without this in us, is, in regard of the event, of no value,
worth, or profit unto us, but serveth only to increase and aggravate
condemnation; for, whatsoever is accomplished besides, that is most
certainly true, “He that believeth not shall be damned,” Mark xvi. 16. (So that if there is
in ourselves a power of believing, and the act of it do proceed from that
power, and is our own also, then certainly and undeniably it is in our
power to make the love of God and death of Christ effectual towards us or
not, and that by believing we actually do the one by an act of our own;
which is so evident that the most ingenious and perspicacious of our
adversaries have in terms confessed it, as I have declared elsewhere).2929Display of
Arminanism. Such being, then, the absolute necessity of
faith, it seems to me that the cause of that must needs be the prime and
principal cause of salvation, 254as being the cause of that
without which the whole would not be, and by which the whole is, and is
effectual.

3. I shall give those that to us in this are
contrary-minded their choice and option, so that they will answer directly,
categorically, and without uncouth, insignificant, cloudy distinctions,
whether our Saviour, by his death and intercession (which we proved to be
conjoined), did merit or procure faith for us, or no? or, which is all one,
whether faith be a fruit and effect of the death of Christ, or no? And
according to their answer I will proceed.

First, If they answer affirmatively, that it is, or that
Christ did procure it by his death (provided always that they do not
wilfully equivocate, and when I speak of faith as it is a grace in a
particular person, taking it subjectively, they understand faith as it is
the doctrine of faith, or the way of salvation declared in the gospel,
taking it objectively, which is another thing, and beside the present
question; although, by the way, I must tell them that we deny the granting
of that new way of salvation, in bringing life and immortality to light by
the gospel in Christ, to be procured for us by Christ, himself being the
chiefest part of this way, yea, the way itself: and that he should himself
be procured by his own death and oblation is a very strange, contradictory
assertion, beseeming them who have used it (More, p. 35.) It is true, indeed, a full and plenary
carrying of his elect to life and glory by that way we ascribe to him, and
maintain it against all; but the granting of that way was of the same free
grace and unprocured love which was also the cause of granting himself unto
us, Gen. iii. 15.); — if, I say, they
answer thus affirmatively, then I demand whether Christ procured faith for
all for whom he died absolutely, or upon some condition on their part to be
fulfilled? If absolutely, then surely, if he died for all, they
must all absolutely believe; for that which is absolutely procured for any
is absolutely his, no doubt. He that hath absolutely procured an
inheritance, by what means soever, who can hinder, that it should not be
his? But this is contrary to that of the apostle, “All men have not faith,” 2 Thess. iii. 2; and, “Faith is of the elect of God,” Tit. i. 1. If they say that he
procured it for them, that is, to be bestowed on them
conditionally, I desire that they would answer bona fide, and roundly, in terms without
equivocation or blind distinctions, assign that condition, that we may know
what it is, seeing it is a thing of so infinite concernment to all our
souls. Let me know this condition which ye will maintain, and en herbam amici!3030 “I own myself conquered,”
Facciolati. — Ed. the cause is yours.
Is it, as some say, if they do not resist the grace of God? Now, what is
it not to resist the grace of God? is it not to obey it? And what is it to
obey the grace of God? is it not to believe? So the condition of faith is
faith itself. Christ procured that they should believe, upon condition
that they do believe! Are these things so? But they 255can
assign a condition, on our part required, of faith, that is not faith
itself. Can they do it? Let us hear it, then, and we will renew our
inquiry concerning that condition, whether it be procured by Christ or no.
If not, then is the cause of faith still resolved into ourselves; Christ is
not the author and finisher of it. If it be then are we just where we were
before, and must follow with our queries whether that condition was
procured absolutely or upon condition. Depinge ubi sistam.

But, secondly, if they will answer negatively, as,
agreeably to their own principles, they ought to do, and deny that faith is
procured by the death of Christ, then, —

1. They must maintain that it is an act of our own wills,
so our own as not to be wrought in us by grace; and that it is wholly
situated in our power to perform that spiritual act, nothing being bestowed
upon us by free grace, in and through Christ (as was before declared), but
what by him, in his death and oblation, was procured: which is contrary, —
(1.) To express Scripture in exceeding many places, which I shall not
recount: (2.) To the very nature of the being of the new covenant, which
doth not prescribe and require the condition of it, but effectually work it
in all the covenantees, Jer. xxxi.
33, 34; Ezek. xxxvi.
26; Heb. viii. 10,
11: (3.) To the advancement of the free grace of God, in setting
up the power of free-will, in the state of corrupted nature, to the
slighting and undervaluing thereof. (4.) To the received doctrine of our
natural depravedness and disability to any thing that is good; yea, by
evident unstrained consequence, overthrowing that fundamental article of
original sin: yea, (5.) To right reason, which will never grant that the
natural faculty is able of itself, without some spiritual elevation, to
produce an act purely spiritual; as 1 Cor. ii.
14.

2. They must resolve almost the sole cause of our salvation
into ourselves ultimately, it being in our own power to make all that God
and Christ do unto that end effectual, or to frustrate their utmost
endeavours for that purpose: for all that is done, whether in the Father’s
loving us and sending his Son to die for us, or in the Son’s offering
himself for an oblation in our stead, or for us (in our behalf), is
confessedly, as before, of no value nor worth, in respect of any profitable
issue, unless we believe; which that we shall do, Christ hath not effected
nor procured by his death, neither can the Lord so work it in us but that
the sole casting voice (if I may so say), whether we will believe or no, is
left to ourselves. Now, whether this be not to assign unto ourselves the
cause of our own happiness, and to make us the chief builders of our own
glory, let all judge.

These things being thus premised, I shall briefly prove
that which is denied, namely, that faith is procured for us by the death of
Christ; and so, consequently, he died not for all and every one, for
“all men have not
faith:” and this we may do by these following reasons:—

2561. The death of Jesus Christ purchased
holiness and sanctification for us, as was at large proved, Arg. viii.; but
faith, as it is a grace of the Spirit inherent in us, is formally a part of
our sanctification and holiness: therefore he procured faith for us. The
assumption is most certain, and not denied; the proposition was
sufficiently confirmed in the foregoing argument; and I see not what may be
excepted against the truth of the whole. If any shall except, and say that
Christ might procure for us some part of holiness (for we speak of parts,
and not of degrees and measure), but not all, as the sanctification of
hope, love, meekness, and the like, I ask, — first, What warrant have we
for any such distinction between the graces of the Spirit, that some of
them should be of the purchasing of Christ, others of our own store?
secondly, Whether we are more prone of ourselves to believe, and more able,
than to love and hope? and where may we have a ground for that?

2. All the fruits of election are purchased for us by Jesus
Christ; for “we are chosen in
him,” Eph. i. 4, as the only cause and
fountain of all those good things which the Lord chooseth us to, for the
praise of his glorious grace, that in all things he might have the
pre-eminence. I hope I need not be solicitous about the proving of this,
that the Lord Jesus is the only way and means by and for whom the Lord will
certainly and actually collate upon his elect all the fruits and effects or
intendments of that love whereby he chose them. But now faith is a fruit,
a principal fruit, of our election; for saith the apostle, “We are chosen in him before the foundation of the world,
that we should be holy,” Eph. i. 4, — of
which holiness, faith, purifying the heart, is a principal share.
“Moreover, whom he did
predestinate, them he also called,” Rom. viii.
30; that is, with that calling which is according to his
purpose, effectually working faith in them by the mighty operation of his
Spirit, “according to the exceeding
greatness of his power,” Eph. i. 19.
And so they “believe” (God
making them differ from others, 1 Cor. iv. 7,
in the enjoyment of the means) “who are ordained to eternal life,” Acts xiii.
48. Their being ordained to eternal life was the fountain from
whence their faith did flow; and so “the
election hath obtained, and the rest were blinded,” Rom. xi. 7.

3. All the blessings of the new covenant are procured and
purchased by him in whom the promises thereof are ratified, and to whom
they are made; for all the good things thereof are contained in and
exhibited by those promises, through the working of the Spirit of God.
Now, concerning the promises of the covenant, and their being confirmed in
Christ, and made unto his, as Gal. iii. 16,
with what is to be understood in those expressions, was before declared.
Therefore, all the good things of the covenant are the effects, fruits, and
purchase of the death of Christ, he and all things for 257him
being the substance and whole of it. Farther; that faith is of the good
things of the new covenant is apparent from the description thereof,
Jer. xxxi. 33, 34; Heb. viii. 10–12; Ezek. xxxvi. 25–27, with divers
other places, as might clearly be manifested if we affected copiousness in
causa facili.

4. That without which it is utterly impossible that we
should be saved must of necessity be procured by him by whom we are fully
and effectually saved. Let them that can, declare how he can be said to
procure salvation fully and effectually for us, and not be the author and
purchaser of that (for he is the author of our salvation by the way of
purchase) without which it is utterly impossible we should attain
salvation. Now, without faith it is utterly impossible that ever any
should attain salvation, Heb. xi. 6,
Mark xvi. 16; but Jesus Christ,
according to his name, doth perfectly save us, Matt. i.
21, procuring for us “eternal redemption,” Heb. ix. 12,
being, “able to save to the
uttermost them that come unto God by him,” chap. vii. 25: and therefore must
faith also be within the compass of those things that are procured by
him.

5. The Scripture is clear, in express terms, and such as
are so equivalent that they are not liable to any evasion; as Phil. i. 29, “It is given unto us, ὑπὲρ
Χριστοῦ, on the behalf of Christ, for Christ’s sake, to believe on
him.” Faith, or belief, is the gift, and Christ the procurer
of it: “God hath blessed us with all
spiritual blessings in him in heavenly places,” Eph.
i. 3. If faith be a spiritual blessing, it is bestowed on us
“in him,” and so also
for his sake; if it be not, it is not worth contending about in this sense
and way: so that, let others look which way they will, I desire to look
unto Jesus as the “author and finisher of our faith,” Heb. xii.
2. Divers other reasons, arguments, and places of Scripture
might be added for the confirmation of this truth; but I hope I have said
enough, and do not desire to say all. The sum of the whole reason may be
reduced to this head, — namely, if the fruit and effect procured and
wrought by the death of Christ absolutely, not depending on any condition
in man to be fulfilled, be not common to all, then did not Christ die for
all; but the supposal is true, as is evident in the grace of faith, which
being procured by the death of Christ, to be absolutely bestowed on them
for whom he died, is not common to all: therefore, our Saviour did not die
for all.

Arg. X. We
argue from the type to the antitype, or the thing signified by it; which
will evidently restrain the oblation of Christ to God’s elect. The people
of Israel were certainly, in all remarkable things that happened unto them,
typical of the church of God; as the apostle at large [declares], 1 Cor. x. 11. Especially, their
institutions and ordinances were all representative of the spiritual things
of the gospel; their priests, altar, sacrifices, were but all shadows of
the good 258things to come in Jesus Christ; their Canaan was a
type of heaven, Heb. iv. 3,
9; as also Jerusalem or Sion, Gal. iv. 26,
Heb. xii. 22. The whole people
itself was a type of God’s church, his elect, his chosen and called people:
whence as they were called a “holy people, a royal priesthood;” so also, in allusion to
them, are believers, 1 Pet. ii. 5, 9.
Yea, God’s people are in innumerable places called his “Israel,” as it is
farther expounded, Heb. viii. 8. A true Israelite is as
much as a true believer, John i. 47;
and he is a Jew who is so in the hidden man of the heart. I hope it need
not be proved that that people, as delivered from bondage, preserved, taken
nigh unto God, brought into Canaan, was typical of God’s spiritual church,
of elect believers. Whence we thus argue:— Those only are really and
spiritually redeemed by Jesus Christ who were designed, signified, typified
by the people of Israel in their carnal, typical redemption (for no reason
in the world can be rendered why some should be typed out in the same
condition, partakers of the same good, and not others); but by the people
of the Jews, in their deliverance from Egypt, bringing into Canaan, with
all their ordinances and institutions, only the elect, the church of God,
was typed out, as was before proved. And, in truth, it is the most
senseless thing in the world, to imagine that the Jews were under a type to
all the whole world, or indeed to any but God’s chosen ones, as is proved
at large, Heb. ix.,
x. Were the Jews and their ordinances types to the seven
nations whom they destroyed and supplanted in Canaan? were they so to
Egyptians, infidels, and haters of God and his Christ? We conclude, then,
assuredly, from that just proportion that ought to be observed between the
types and the things typified, that only the elect of God, his church and
chosen ones, are redeemed by Jesus Christ.